Tommy's

The Richmond neighborhood is known for authentic ethnic food.  I wouldn’t know because I tend not to venture too far outside of my little bubble.  Lame, I know.  Anything past Divis (or Divisadero for you non-locals) is a mystery to me, but I’m getting better.  Thanks to my friends Bill and Kerr, I now understand the amazingness that is Tommy’s.  Don’t let the name fool you.  It’s a Mexican restaurant.  San Francisco is full of Mexican restaurants both down and dirty and shi-shi.  There’s a lot of taquerias in the Mission and I’ve had the pleasure of enjoying a few, both sober and not so.  I’ve had tons of really good Mexican since I moved here.  For me really good Mexican isn’t a stretch because New York sucks for Mexican.  Some of you might be saying, “How can you screw up Mexican food?”  Well, that’s a good question.  I think that most of it is pretty good.  But Tommy’s is something really special.  And, what’s really special about Tommy’s are the Margaritas.  I don’t know what they put in those things, but they are not too tangy, not too tequila-y and not too limey—I’ve had a lot of bad margs in my day and these are just right and they go down like Poland Spring.  Tommy’s margs are on many San Francisco must try lists including 7x7’s Big Eat List 100 Things to Try Before You Die. 

Walking into Tommy’s feels like walking into any typical Mexican joint.  It was crowded, jubilant and the décor was cheesy.  We ponied up to the bar and ordered some margs.  The white board behind the bar said something like:  If you live in San Francisco, be thankful you live in the best city in the world.  It made me like this place even more and I hadn’t had anything.  First marg went down fast and smooth and I got to enjoy some chips and salsa (naturally) while drinking it.  The salsas were pretty awesome.  Red and green.  You would typically think green is more mild, but in this case the green was super spicy.  The red was sweeter, but got spicier by the bite.  Yay for hot salsas!  I think they do that so you order more margs.  Well, they saw us coming.  Pitcher please!

For dinner we started with nachos and guac.  Standard fare, right?  Nope.  These were the best damn nachos I’ve ever had.  The refried beans were the first layer, followed by cheese, sour cream and some guac and jalepenos.  I’m craving them just writing about it.

 

Don't you want to eat these right now!

 

For my main I went simple.  Chicken enchilada.  The mole sauce was pretty tangy, lots of yummy cheese and the beans and rice were also smothered in more cheese.  Ok, this was pretty damn good, but those nachos were off the hook, yo.  Another pitcher, and a shot of tequila later, we were soaking up (literally) Tommy’s  very well.  The servers are super friendly, the atmosphere is welcoming and homey and the margs are strong and good.  What more can you ask for!  Delicioso!  Muchas gracias Tommy’s.  Quatro stars. 

Muy bueno!